Basel: Three high-rise buildings for Dreispitz
Three circular high-rise buildings are to characterize the new Basel urban district being built on the Dreispitz site. This is the plan of Herzog & de Meuron, who won the study contract for the northern tip.
The Dreispitz, the triangle between Dornacherstrasse, Reinacherstrasse and Münchensteinerstrasse, is to become a new Basel urban quarter. So far, the Dreispitz has been used mainly for commerce and retail - this is to be further developed and expanded with gastronomy, education, leisure and housing.
The property owner, the Christoph Merian Foundation (CMS), sees particularly high development potential for the northern tip of the site, close to the SBB train station and in the neighborhood of the Gundeldingen district. Together with the Migros Basel cooperative as the building leaseholder of the northern tip, it therefore initiated a study contract and invited six Swiss architectural firms to participate. The aim was to develop a concept for the transformation of the site that was both forward-looking in urban planning terms and economically viable.
The jury unanimously voted in favor of the proposal by the Basel office of Herzog & de Meuron. The centerpieces of the project are two parks and three high-rise buildings with a circular layout and mixed use. The 135- to 160-meter-high towers are intended to mark the transition from the Birs to the Rhine Valley. The architects propose to build on the site with a mix of townhouses and high-rise buildings, realized by different developers. This will create living space in different sizes and price categories. The dense development will be broken up by a city park, and the roof of the MParc Dreispitz will be greened and used as a public open space.
A total of around 800 apartments could be built in the superstructure, corresponding to living space for 1,400 people. The total investment costs on the northern tip are roughly estimated at CHF 600 to 800 million.
CMS, Migros and the canton of Basel-Stadt are full of praise for Herzog & de Meuron's design. The proposal "ensures the further development of one of our most important points of sale," says Stefano Patrignani, managing director of the Migros Basel cooperative, about the plans for the MParc Dreispitz. For cantonal architect Beat Aeberhard, the project "enables a connection to the Gundeli Ost neighborhood, creates exemplary urban densification, and at the same time maximizes open spaces that can be used in a variety of ways." "Herzog & de Meuron show in an exemplary way how densification enables high residential quality and generous open spaces for the neighborhood," says Beat von Wartburg, director of CMS.
However, it will still take a few years until realization: A second development phase will now follow, in which a legally binding development plan will be developed. Ideally, it could be submitted to the Grand Council in the course of 2020. If it becomes legally binding, phase three will follow with concrete planning for individual projects.
